Meanwhile, as Catherine prepared her coffee, she had just enough to brew at least one good cup of coffee!
And so as she waited for the coffee to finish zipping through her coffee maker, she then stood daydreaming, and she wondered what Vincent was doing below in his world right now, and wondered too, if reflective thoughts of their day together kept him awake last night, as they had her.
Stirred by the beeping of her coffee maker, she poured the coffee in her cup, and as she tasted the watered down version of what was supposed to be coffee, she put it down, and thought, in this case, nothing is better than something! And so she reached for a pen, and wrote Coffee down on her shopping list!
After making sure Noodles was squared away for the day, Catherine got ready for work herself, and after one last session of throwing the ball, Catherine petted Noodles, and then headed out the door.
And so as she approached her office building, she threw her scarf back over her shoulder, to help shield her self from the cold.
As Bruno opened the door for her, he mentioned, "The wind kinda goes right through you today, uh Catie?"
To which Catherine, with a shiver, said, "Sure does Bruno! Hope you have double layers on today."
With an affirmative nod, Bruno replied, "Triple! The Mrs. made sure of that!"
As they both stepped inside for a moment, Catherine asked, "Did you have a nice Thanksgiving?"
To which Bruno replied, "Sure did! Had turkey with all the trimmin's, and we saw all the relatives, the good the bad and the ugly!"
Taken back by Bruno's description of his relations, Catherine guiltily giggled, and said, "Bruno, you are terrible!"
With a wave of his hand, he replied, "I know, you are right, but we truly did have a good get together...And I know you did too, cuz I saw your Pop yesterday before he headed back for Florida."
In reply, with surprise Catherine said, "So Dad put in some time yesterday?"
With an anxious tone, Bruno added, "And Marilyn did too!"
Feeling badly she wasn't in on the impromptu call to arms, Catherine said, "Those two!"
And then with a reflective smile, Catherine continued, "But as far as a nice Thanksgiving, yes, we did, we had a lovely day...and we were able to visit with Dad's brother and his family too as they passed through town over the weekend. And I did some Black Friday shopping with Jenny and her Mom, and...well I could go on and on, but I better get to work, so I will talk to you later on."
With a tip of his hat, Bruno said, "Have a good day Catie!"
As Catherine road up in the elevator, she suddenly felt a sadness, thinking her days were numbered speaking to Bruno, riding in this elevator, seeing all the same people...yes, it will be sad leaving her job here...but she knew it was time...and she was ready.
As Catherine walked by the desk, she greeted Rita, and they each spoke about their Holiday, and of how hard it was getting back into a routine after a few days off.
And so as Catherine looked up at the clock, she then kindly broke away, saying, "I guess I better catch up with you later on Rita...I think Marilyn must be waiting..."
To which Rita raised a brow as she replied, "She is, and oh by the way, that's freshly brewed coffee over there...just saying..."
Appreciating the tip, Catherine grabbed a cup, and said, "Fresh coffee, those words are music to my ears!"
Rita giggled, and Catherine looked back raising her mug, and then entered her Dad's office, to join Marilyn for a short meeting.
And as she entered, she found Marilyn hard at work already, doing her part to keep the lofty ship afloat.
And so cheerfully, Catherine said, "Good morning Marilyn...oh my garsh, it looks like you have been at it for hours. What time did you come in today?"
To which Marilyn replied, "Oh not that long ago Cathy, this was something your Dad and I started working on yesterday."
With a nod, Catherine noted, "Yes Bruno told me he saw you and Dad yesterday...I wish I had known...I could have come in too."
And so with a sad smile, Marilyn replied, "No worries Dear...being here alone, gave us time to talk about things...talk about you..."
Realizing Marilyn heard about her career change, Catherine nodded tearfully, and she then asked, "How do you think Dad is really taking my leaving..."
Thoughtfully, Marilyn looked Catherine in the eye, and carefully said, "Truthfully Cathy, I believe he is proud, proud you made this tough decision. He is beginning to see life...his own included...does not revolve around corporate law! Ah but no one loves this aspect of law more than your Father does! He wants you to know the same satisfaction in your work too. And as much as I will miss you around here, I want you to know I feel this way too, we all do sweetie. We have watched you grow up, and you have made us so proud."
Catherine hugged Marilyn and said, "Thank you for that Marilyn."
As the two wiped a few sentimental tears away, they then got to work. And before they knew it, it was the noon hour, and Catherine asked both Marilyn and Rita if they wanted anything from Poppy's.
To which Marilyn reluctantly chimed in first, saying, "I have an iceberg salad with my name on it in the fridge...I better stick to that."
She then confessed, "I gained 5 lbs. over Thanksgiving! I have to cut back, so I don't end up a two ton Tess by Christmas."
Rita then too said, "You are singing to the choir sister. Thanks any way Cathy, but I brought a salad too."
Catherine laughed at these two, and said she would be back in an hour.
In reply, Rita told her, "Have a good lunch Cathy...and oh, wait a moment..."
As Rita shuffled around her desk, and shifted this stack of papers and that group of folders, she finally found the letter she was looking for!
Disgusted at herself, she then said, "I almost forgot! This came while you were in your meeting with Marilyn. It is from the D.A! What do you suppose this could be about?"
Catherine took the envelope, smiled at a flustered Rita, and teased, "Oh, no Rita! My past has finally caught up with me!"
To which Rita, appreciating Catherine's attempt to take the focus off of her disorganization, laughed as she ironically remarked, "That will be the day!"
As Catherine opened the envelope, she held her breath, wondering if Joe was retracting his job offer!
After reading the letter, she looked back up at Rita and thoughtfully said, "It is from Joe Maxwell, and...he was wondering if, I was really serious about working with him at the D.A. In this letter, he is telling me as per our telephone conversation, his job offer still stands."
A totally surprised Rita asked, "Are you going to take it?"
Catherine nodded, and as she bit her lip, she said, "Yes...I guess I am!"
Rita shook her head and said, "It won't be the same around here Cathy. But the D.A., well now, that does sound exciting!"
Rita readjusted herself in her seat, as if she were preparing to tell Catherine a long story!
Her eyes sparkled as she relayed, "You know years ago Cathy, I worked as a file clerk at the Police dept. Oh it was an exciting job, and a very target rich environment too, and I have always been a sucker for a man in uniform! So as a single gal, I had my share of romances!"
Rita then stopped suddenly, and looked a bit puzzled wondering what point it was she was wanting to make!
Like a flash, the thought struck her, and she said, "Anywhooo, when I worked there, I knew Joe Maxwell's Father. He was a good Cop, the top of the heap."
Rita then sadly said, "He was a devoted family man too. He was just a good man all the way around!"
Hesitantly, Catherine asked, "WAS a good man Rita. Has he since died?"
To which Rita answered, "Yes he died in the line of duty. I remember it so clearly. So, so very tragic..."
As both lines of Rita's phone began ringing, she apologetically said, "Sorry Cathy! Remind me to tell you about it sometime when we are not so busy!"
In reply, Catherine sadly said she would, and was left in suspense, wondering about the story behind Joe's Father's death.
With letter in hand, as the elevator door closed, she began to re-read the letter.
Joe wrote: FROM THE DESK OF THE ASSISTANT D.A. JOSEPH MAXWELL
Hey Radcliffe, So what do you say, do you really have the guts to leave your Daddy's firm, or were you just blowing smoke? If you are really serious, the job is yours. You have 2 weeks. If you don't show up, then I guess you will have proven your type really cannot cut it out in the "Real World" without Daddy's help! Are you gonna prove me wrong or what? Cordially yours Joe Maxwell (Remember me? I am the guy living in the real world, who by the way, is never wrong!)
Meanwhile, the door of the elevator had been open for a moment, as Catherine re-read the letter once more. She couldn't help but wonder, if Joe's gruff demeanor was maybe a little bit out of resentment. Here she was in a plush job, working with her Dad, and he himself, had to make his way in the world, without his.
And so Catherine then surmised, Joe must have been quite young when his Dad died, because Rita said she, herself was a young single gal at the time.
Still yet, though she felt bad for Joe, she could not help but feel a little irritated too! The fact this letter was written in such an arrogant way, she knew Joe was baiting her! Now he is going to think it was because of this obnoxious letter that she will take the job!
Either way, this Joe Maxwell will win the first round!
Meantime, Bruno started to laugh and asked, "So are you coming out of there or not Catie?"
As Bruno's voice broke through her thoughts, Catherine realized she must look ridiculous standing in an open elevator! And so she laughed and said, "Yes I am Bruno...just lost in thought...do you want anything from Poppy's?"
In reply, Bruno said, "The wife is bringing me lunch. I suspect it will be Turkey casserole surprise! Last night it was Tortilla stuffed with turkey, for lunch it was Turkey salad sandwiches, and the meal before that was Turkey Ravioli! But we are trying to save some coin for Christmas...so I better stick with my wife's plan. Thanks anyhow!"
Catherine smiled as she pulled her scarf up tight around her neck, and said, "Mildred sounds like a very resourceful woman!"
To which Bruno nodded, and sarcastically said, "Unfortunately for me...she is! Have a good lunch, and stay warm!"
And so as Catherine and Jennifer met, and were seated, they talked away, as they shared a pizza.
It was then, Jennifer told Catherine, about her conversation with Tom.
To which Jennifer relayed, Tom was sure she had turned him down, because of something negative Catherine must have said about him. But she assured Tom, that Catherine had nothing to do with it, and told him it was because of this bad attitude!
After saying she was so proud of her, Catherine told Jennifer how she loved her spunk, and of how she was able to put Tom in his place!
Catherine then raised her glass of classic Coke, and Jennifer raised her diet Pepsi, and the two clinked glasses in celebration!
It was then Catherine shared, "Jen, I need to tell you about something..."
Catherine then showed Jennifer, Joe's letter and after she read it, she looked up and said, "So this is really happening...you are gonna leave your family's firm! My mom thinks you would be crazy to leave Cath! I mean there you have job security, and also the DA can be dangerous! Please promise me you will think about it a little more..."
With a humbled, but determined look, Catherine replied, "I already have Jen...I am going to take the job with the DA."
It was then, Catherine heard a familiar voice, who was asking the hostess, "Excuse me, I dined here last evening, and I left behind my knitted hat. Could you please check and see if someone had turned it in?"
As the hostess shuffled through the lost and found box, she pulled out a hat, and asked, "Is this the one?"
To which Lin excitedly said, "Yes! My friend had knitted it for me, and I would have hated to have lost it. Thank you so much!"
And it was just as Catherine turned to look at Lin, that Lin...looked over at Catherine!